were either appointed or re-appointed. This action led to a letter of complaint being sent to her by a cross-party group of MPs. On 12 December 2017, the government announced the appointment which her successor ratified. In January 2018, Bradley was appointed Secretary of State for Northern Ireland after the resignation of James Brokenshire due to ill health. In July 2018, she came under criticism in the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee for failing to take action on British government discrimination against former soldiers and police. Andrew Murrison challenged her on her account of what she had done, and she said she would write to him. Sylvia Hermon commented: "I wait and wait for letters." In a September 2018 interview for House magazine, a weekly publication for the Houses of Parliament, Bradley admitted she had not understood Northern Irish politics before being appointed Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, saying: "I didn't understand things like when elections are fought, for example, in Northern Ireland – people who are nationalists don’t vote for unionist parties and vice versa," she said. In March 2019, Bradley defended killings by security forces during the Troubles in the Northern Ireland, stating that "The fewer than 10% [of killings] that were at the hands of the military and police were not crimes, they were people acting under orders and fulfilling their duties in a dignified and appropriate way.". This comment was criticised by numerous political parties in Northern Ireland, and some made calls for her to resign. A "clarification" on her remarks was issued by Bradley later that day in the House of Commons, and the following day she issued an apology. The families of those who died on Bloody Sunday in January 1972 claimed that Bradley was attempting to interfere in the British government's decision on whether or not to prosecute the soldiers involved in the incident. Bradley was dismissed as Northern Ireland Secretary by Prime Minister Boris Johnson upon his appointment in July 2019. Bradley was reelected at the 2019 general election, with an increased majority of 16,428 votes. She was elected as Chair of the Procedure Committee on 29 January 2020, defeating Bob Blackman to the post. Personal life Bradley is married to Neil Bradley. They have two sons. She is a fan of Manchester City Football Club. Notes References External links karenbradley.co.uk — Bradley's website Bradley on TheyWorkForYou.com Bradley on Conservative Party site